ISSUES

Volunteer

VOLUNTEER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: ADVOCATES IN ACTION

At the CCDC we have some of the best, most passionate and dedicated volunteers in the state.

Volunteering at CCDC is the experience of a lifetime. Many individuals who began volunteering at CCDC now have paid employment in the disability community and beyond as a result of the skills they develop. However, many people also choose to remain at CCDC, volunteering for years, even decades, because of the intense satisfaction. The feedback we hear speaks to the impact the experience has on the lives of the volunteers AND the recipients. We hear comments such as: “Volunteering at CCDC gave me my life back,” and “I used to feel powerless and alone, and now I am part of making real change that will help thousands of people with disabilities.” Most volunteers come to us because they experienced discrimination directly or through a family member. They generally want to “do something” to make sure that their experience with the system is not repeated.

CCDC offers a variety of opportunities. We provide initial and ongoing training for our volunteers. Volunteers can become involved assisting individuals who encounter problems with government programs or service providers, represent the organization on policy making boards or committees, engaging in citizen lobbying, organizing events or assisting with events, and much more.

CCDC also seeks people with specific skills including website management, medical professionals, attorneys, and experts in specific areas to provide pro bono or low-cost services.

CCDC encourages volunteers to take the advocacy training class, which gives an overview of the organization and the areas in which we work. Please contact Angela Nevin at anevin@ccdconline.org to learn about our certification program and class calendar.

If you’d like to join us, to work and advocate for people with disabilities and for social justice, there are a number of ways you can volunteer.

BECOME A CERTIFIED SYSTEMS ADVOCATE. All interested parties are required to take an eight-week Basic Advocacy Training course at the University of Denver. Participants are paired with a mentor upon completion. Please contact our Training Manager, Angela Nevin at anevin@ccdconline.orgIf you are not sure you want to become a certified advocate or just want to volunteer without being a certified advocate or want to help but cannot do the eight-week class, CCDC hosts periodic orientations. These sessions allow participants to learn about CCDC and about what we do to help advocate and stop discrimination against people with disabilities. If you attend the orientation you will be able to volunteer for CCDC by attending events but not formally representing CCDC. We often need people to attend various meetings, hearings, etc., as witnesses or watchdogs and report back to us. If you want to sign up for our next orientation please email our Community Organizer, Dawn Howard at dhoward@ccdconline.org

BECOME AN INDIVIDUAL ADVOCATE. This involves direct assistance to people with disabilities and might include: answering questions about public benefits like Medicaid, providing assistance in problem-solving, filing appeals, representing people in administrative court as a non-attorney advocate, etc. We are in need of volunteers to help with brief cases and are seeking people willing to commit to one or two specific shifts per week. Completion of the Basic Advocacy Training is required. Contact Angela Nevin at anevin@ccdconline.org for more information. If you have questions about how the Individual Advocacy Program works
please email our Director of Individual Advocacy, Donna Sablan at dsablan@ccdconline.org

We are always in need of volunteers. We welcome your help and anyone who is interested would need to attend our new volunteer orientation. Sign up by emailing Dawn Howard at dhoward@ccdconline.org

If you do not live in Denver, we are happy to announce that our advocacy class is now available online. We value our rural and frontier members and your help is incredibly important. Email Angela Nevin at anevin@ccdconline.org.

If you have any other questions or want to sign up for orientation, please contact Dawn Howard at dhoward@ccdconline.org or call 303-531-7333.

On behalf of CCDC, thank you very much for your interest in becoming a volunteer.

Important Notice
CCDC’s employees and/or volunteers are NOT acting as your attorney. Responses you receive via electronic mail, phone, or in any other manner DO NOT create or constitute an attorney-client relationship between you and the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC), or any employee of, or other person associated with, CCDC. The only way an attorney-client relationship is established is if you have a signed retainer agreement with one of the CCDC Legal Program attorneys.

Information received from CCDC’s employees or volunteers, or from this site, should NOT be considered a substitute for the advice of a lawyer. www.ccdconline.org DOES NOT provide any legal advice, and
you should consult with your own lawyer for legal advice. This website is a general service that provides information over the internet. The information contained on this site is general information and
should not be construed as legal advice to be applied to any specific factual situation.